Improved deyice foe operating water-wheel gates



ta'tte @ffies JOSEPH' II. Bo'nINn AND 'rennais n. HILL, or MOUNT MORRIS, NIIWy YORK.

Letters .Patent No. 78,51Q, dated Jime 2, 1858,

.I'Itrnovrn newer ronorsstrrue WATER-WHEEL GATES.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY. CONCERN:

Beit known that we, Joseph H.- Booms and .'lItUM'AN A. HILL,-of Mount Morris, in the county of Livingston, and Stato of New: York, hare invented n new 'and ilup'roved Water-Wheel; and we do hereby declare-that thc following isa full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will .enable those. skilled inl the art to make and use the same, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification. This invention relates to an improvement in water-wheels; und the' invention.l consists in the manner in which the gate is operated. I

Figure 1 represents a top View' of' the wheel, showing the gate, andthe manner in which it/is operated.

Figure 2 is a. vertical section of tig. l through theline :e as; I

A Figure 3 is a vertical section of fig.l 1 through the line Q/y.

Figure 4 is a'horizontal section through e oi iig. 3

Figure' is a. horizontal section through 'tt 'it of' iig. 3.

Figure 6 is another section through e e of fig. 3.

Figure? is a section of fig. l{through the line vw.

Similar letters of reference indiate corresponding parts.

vA represents the wheel, which is attached to an upright shaft.

B is the shaft, which is revolved on a step fixed ina stationary block or base, marked C.

' D -is a stationary shell placed above the wheel, and supported by its `Harige upon the fiume. In this shell nre'formed chutes for conducting thc water to the wheel.

'E are angular arms, pendent from the shell D, :and supporting the step C, and the shaftB' bearing the wheel. The buckets in thewheel. are placed, as regards position, similarly to those of'thc ordinary turbine water-v Wheel, and it will be seen that the water'is conducted to the buckets in a similar manner to that wheel. Theangle and curve of the bucket-s, as well as ofthe chutes, are seen in the sectional g.'2.. a is the bucket, b is the chute, and e is the water-way. It Will be seen that the water strikesthe bucket at an angie best calculated to' insure the greatest per 'eentageof power. 1

In applying this wheel to a head o't water, the H ang'e F of the shell D rests upon the bottom of' the iume, an aperture being madethrough the bottom suiiiciently large to adinit the wheel, `so that the body orhead .fofA water rests upon the gate and'directlyover the wneel. I l

G represcntsithei'gate. This gate is formed of a circular disk-plate, with apertures through it, which correspond in number with the waterways between the chutes' of the shell l).

The arms or bars t thus formed between the apertures 'in the gate, radiate from a central ring` or collar, J, to the rim K.

Y The collar-J surrounds the central cone, L, around which, and onthe face of the shell D, thegate is par tially'rotated or operated, so that when the gate'is closed, the arms cover the water-ways c in theshell, operati.' ing after the manner' of a heat-register. y

The inetho'd ofoperating the gate'is seen in iig. 1.

m isa sector, formed by three radiatingarms and the arc of acircle, whiehhas its centre on the Bange F at n. This sector turns on a central pivotat n, which is supported by a horizontal bracket, o,

The are of this sector is a cogged rack, as seen in' the drawingl P isa pinion, which engages with thisrack, whichis attachedl to an upright shaft'or spindle, i", and S is a hand-wheel on this shaft, for turning the pinion, and operating the gate.

To connect thesector with the gate there is a lug,1 @cast on one side of' it.

uis'a bar, which is attached to this lug at one end, and to the gate at the other, as seen in the drawing.

The result of this arrangement isthat the gate maybeturned .in `either direction with the greatest ease,

and it will stay in anydesired position.

By attaching the lever to the sector at a proper vdistance from thepivot of the latter, the amount ot' power required to operate the gate can be changed as the case may require.-

The-central cone L is attached to the shell D, through both of whichthe shefft B passes. The upper portion of this hollow cone contains u bridge-tree, which supports the shaft. i

Dierent views of this support are rseen in the figs. 4,`.5, 6, and 7. l l. c represents guide-blocks of wood or other suitable material, which are confined by {langes in the bridgetre'e, as seen in the-figures referred to.

w represents the recesses in which these blocks are confined. The positionof these-blocks in their recesses is controlled by set-screws, x, through the sides of the cone, as seen, so that the shaft may be accurately adjusted at any time. l

4er. represents a cap on the top of the cone. The bottom end ofthe shaft may be concave, revolvingl on a wooden conicel step, 13', as seen in the drawing, or any other suitablestepmay be employed.

All'kinds of steps, or steps and points, are very liable to wear, and consequently the shaft isliable to settle,

v and thereby disurrenge the wheel and the machinery connected therewith.

-For the purpose of providing aremedy. f or this difficulty, I support the conical step on a cam-lever, C', with the lever extending outward, so as to be connected with the rim or flange, F, of the shell D.

'0l/fis it rod, which connects-'the lever with -thelange On the upper portion of this rod there is a screwthread, .with :t nutfon it above the lange, so thatin case 'the shaft settles,this nut maybe screwed down, which draws up the end of the lever, andeonsequently raises the shaft.

' Any slilgllt'scttling of the shaft is thus compensated for, and the wheel, by this arrangement, and the bridge- -tree blocks in the cone' L, may be adjusted to the shell with the greatest nicety'.

Having thu's described our invention, wecla'im as new, and desire to secure by Letters Putent- The-arrangement of thepi voted sector m, pinion P, and handwheeLS, and pivoted con-nectingfrod u, with .relation to the circular register-gute G, whereby said gnteis operated horizontally to open and close 'all the water-ways at once, :is herein 'shown and described.,

` TRUMAN A. HILL,

JOSEPH II. BOBINE.

` Witnesses A P. J; RUNYAN, Hn'rnrznn Bust. 

